12 Portuguese killed on French 'road of death'

Twelve Portuguese passengers, including a seven-year-old girl, died when their minibus collided with a heavy lorry on a motorway in central France known locally as "the road of death".

The crash happened late on Thursday night as the minibus was travelling from Switzerland to Portugal, taking the group home for the Easter holidays.

"The 12 passengers of the minibus, who were all Portuguese, are dead," said a statement from the local authority.

The local Allier prefecture said all the victims had been identified and discussions were under way with Portuguese authorities on organising the bodies' repatriation.

Authorities said the bus swerved for an unknown reason and slammed head-first into the lorry on a notorious accident blackspot described by officials as the deadliest in France at Montbeugny near the town of Moulins.

The 19-year-old driver of the minibus survived with a fractured wrist.

"He is currently hospitalised, and will be questioned by investigators," said local prosecutor Pierre Gagnoud.

The two Italian drivers of the lorry also suffered injuries but are expected to survive.

All of the drivers took alcohol tests which showed they had not been drinking.

- ' Deadliest road in France' -

Eleven of the victims have been identified as residents of the Swiss cantons of Vaud and Fribourg, the Portugese embassy in Switzerland told RTS news agency.

The accident took place on a portion of the Centre-Europe Atlantic Road which crosses from east to west France.

Accidents on the route are common, leading local residents to nickname it "the road of death".

Local newspaper La Montagne reported that the number of road deaths is five times the national average.

The road "is quite monotonous, the speed limit is 90 kilometres per hour (55 miles per hour). There are those who are impatient and those who fall asleep," said a source close to the investigation, adding that there are only four passing zones in the area.

"They've been talking about adding a second lane for 40 years," he added.

A local official told AFP: "It's the deadliest road in France. When you add it up, we've had 15 deaths in a year."

Regional council head Gerard Deriot said he was "appalled" to see more deaths on the road.

"It is appalling when, for years you have pushed the state to assume its responsibilities" and upgrade the road, said Deriot, from the opposition Republicans party.

Secretary of State for Transport Alain Vidalies said more than 100 million euros ($111 million) had been set aside in 2016 to upgrade the road.

A local village hall was being used as a temporary morgue and families of the victims were due to arrive later in the day.

The crash comes after two school bus accidents in February left eight dead in France.